Report: Some NFL executives 'genuinely hate' Colin Kaepernick

Eight days into the new league year, the free agent market has been cool on quarterback Colin Kaepernick. There have been no reports about visits or interest from teams. There’s a reasonable chance he might go unsigned until after the NFL draft next month.

It’s incredible to think about. Kaepernick is four years removed from being the toast of the NFL after leading the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in his first season as the starter in 2012. Now it looks like he can’t find a job.

“He can still play at a high level,” one AFC general manager said. “The problem is three things are happening with him.

“First, some teams genuinely believe that he can’t play. They think he’s shot. I’d put that number around 20 percent.

“Second, some teams fear the backlash from fans after getting him. They think there might be protests or [President Donald] Trump will tweet about the team. I’d say that number is around 10 percent. Then there’s another 10 percent that has a mix of those feelings.

“Third, the rest genuinely hate him and can’t stand what he did [kneeling for the national anthem]. They want nothing to do with him. They won’t move on. They think showing no interest is a form of punishment. I think some teams also want to use Kaepernick as a cautionary tale to stop other players in the future from doing what he did.”

When I spoke to a handful of executives at the combine a few weeks ago, one even called him “an embarrassment to football.”

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There’s little doubt Kaepernick’s a polarizing player both on and off the field. He knew when he made his decision to kneel during the national anthem that he was risking his perception among league executives and the 49ers, only months after he requested a trade out of San Francisco in February 2016.

He was asked in August if he was worried he’d get cut for his decision not to stand.

“I don’t know,” Kaepernick said. “But if I do, I know I did what’s right. And I can live with that at the end of the day.”

Kaepernick opted out of his contract after restructuring his deal in the fall before taking back the starting job from Blaine Gabbert. The 49ers never appeared willing to pay him the $14.9 million base salary he was due, and they likely made that apparent to the embattled quarterback. So Kaepernick opted out to get his chance on the open market.